Greek Swimmer Takes Home Bronze Medal at Tokyo Paralympics

Greek swimmer Alexandra Stamatopoulou took home the bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics on Friday in the women’s 50m backstroke swimming S4 event.

Stamatopoulou, who has a rare neurological disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome, finished the race with a time of 49.63, earning her the bronze medal.

Liu Yu and Zhou Yanfei, both from China, won the gold and silver medals in the event, respectively.

The Greek swimmer’s event marks the last in which an athlete from Greece will compete in the swimming category.

Stamatopoulou has been swimming on the international stage since 2013, and currently works as a speech therapist.

Medals for Greece in Tokyo Paralympic Games

Greek sprinter Thanasis Ghavelas won the gold medal for Greece in the 100 meter sprint  final on Thursday at the Paralympic Games held in Tokyo.

The 22-year-old athlete, together with his sighted companion Sotiris Garaganis, won the category T11 with a time of 10.82, improving the world record they had set in Wednesday’s qualifier of 10.88.

On Wednesday Greece added another medal to its tally at the Tokyo Paralympic Games as Grigoris Polychronidis won the silver at boccia, a precision ball sport, similar to bocce, and related to bowls and pétanque. The sport is contested at local, national and international levels, by athletes with severe physical disabilities.

On Tuesday, Efstratios Nikolaidis, representing Greece, won the bronze medal in the shot put.

The first medals for Greece were won on the first full day of the Paralymic Games in Tokyo, on August 25. Panagiotis Triantafyllou and Demosthenes Michalentzakis won bronze for Greece in the wheelchair individual fencing category and swimming respectively.

The following day, Powerlifter Dimitrios Bakochristos of Greece won the bronze medal in the men’s 54 kg powerlifting event at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Greek swimmer Antonios Tsapatakis won the bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke SB4 at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday, and Athanasios Konstantinidis won silver in the men’s club throw event on Saturday.

Cypriot swimmer wins gold at Tokyo Paralympics

Karolina Pelendritou, known as the “Princess of the pool,” took gold for Cyprus in the 100 meter SB11 Breaststroke event at the Tokyo Paralympics on Wednesday.

Pelendritou, who is visually impaired, also broke the world record for her event, finishing her 100m breaststroke with a stunning time of 1:19.78.

The swimmer was moved to tears as the Cypriot flag was raised and the national anthem played as she received her gold medal.

The 2020 Summer Paralympic Games started with the opening ceremony in Tokyo on August 24, 2021.

A total of 4,400 athletes with disabilities from around the world, including 46 from Greece, are competing in 22 sports.